The use of portable or relocatable structures that can readily be transferred to another location is very important in today's society. Business owners often lease land rather than purchase it; due to the limited duration of their leases, it is unfeasible for these business owners to construct small, permanent buildings when they know that they will be moving shortly. Similarly, prudent business strategy often warrants the use of portable buildings. Investment and accounting principles sometimes make structures permanently affixed to land less desirable than portable structures.
Portable structures also possess other attributes. For example, such structures can be accommodated by much of the currently available industrial property. This property possesses a relatively flat, paved surface that requires no further preparation prior to placement of portable structures. In addition, portable structures can sometimes be used where one would be precluded or reluctant to construct a permanent structure. To illustrate, such structures may be allowed on public utility easements because they can be moved relatively quickly, whereas permanent structures would be strictly forbidden.
Furthermore, non-business persons often prefer the flexibility provided by portable structures over that of permanent structures of similar size and construction. For example, homeowners might choose a portable storage facility or out-building because they do not envision an indefinite need for such a structure.
The advent of relatively light-weight and strong building materials, coupled with novel manufacturing techniques, has increased the ability to construct portable structures possessing many qualities of permanent structures. If small buildings are involved, the use of portable structures may be even more desirable due to their generally lower construction costs.
Two basic types of portable structures exist. The first type involves pre-fabricated structures in which the entire structure can be moved from one location to another. Examples of such portable structures include on-site offices used in the construction industry and classrooms used in schools. These structures are often in the form of trailers that can be towed by a truck to different locations.
While being advantageous for certain purposes, pre-fabricated structures possess several important disadvantages that limit their usefulness in other settings. Initially, because the entire structure is moved, it must be light enough so that it can either be carried or towed between locations by a vehicle. This requisite obviously limits the materials that can be used in the construction of the pre-fabricated structure. Next, deserved or undeserved, a certain stigma has come to be associated with pre-fabricated structures. Pre-fabricated structures, such as mobile homes, are viewed by consumers as lacking the qualities of permanent structures.
The second type of portable structure encompasses portable, pre-fabricated elements that can be used in the construction of a structure. One variation of this type entails manufacturing each element separately, then combining the elements at the desired location. Another variation involves the manufacture of only certain elements; these manufactured elements are then incorporated into the construction of the ultimate structure.
For particular uses, the second type of portable structure possesses several advantages over the first. Because only individual elements are portable, not necessarily the structure in its entirety, stronger, heavier, and more durable materials can be used to manufacture the elements. The elements may also be combined in differing manners, providing great flexibility with regards to the configuration of the ultimate structure. Finally, due to the nature of their construction, these structures are often viewed as being more similar to permanent structures than to traditional portable structures; as such, this second type of structure does not suffer from the aforementioned stigma associated with the pre-fabricated structures.
An important element of a portable structure is the foundation upon which the walls of the structure are built. The preferred type of foundation will obviously depend upon the desired function of the finished structure. Wood, metal or a combination of both are often used in the foundations of portable storage facilities.
The present invention provides a superior alternative to the portable foundations traditionally employed with portable buildings. The foundation of the present invention is stronger and more durable than those generally used with portable structures; it can also be used in conjunction with building materials presently utilized in the construction of the structures of portable buildings. Finally, the foundation of the present invention is designed to provide great flexibility in terms of the types of buildings with which it can accommodate.